Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Howard Elliott writes about the need for senior levels of government to help address the housing needs facing Canadian communities. And the report from Saskatchewan's advisory group on poverty reduction includes housing among its key priorities as well (while also favouring work on a basic income).

- Meanwhile, Armine Yalnizyan reminds us that the Cons' destruction of the census is making it far more difficult to identify and address social problems.

- Justin Ling documents the latest example of Stephen Harper's utter contempt for the concept of accountability, as national media outlets are being required to pay the Cons $78,000 for the privilege of asking a single question on Harper's campaign tour. But Sandy Garossino writes that there's ample reason for Harper and other Cons to face more questioning they can't avoid as the scope of the Mike Duffy bribe and cover-up is exposed in open court.

- Michael Harris worries about the connections between the Cons and the RCMP. And Jim Bronskill reports on the latest effort to give police virtually unrestricted access to Canadians' personal information, while Jordan Pearson points out why the public has reason to be worried about the possibility.

- Finally, Robert Reich criticizes the shift away from requiring corporations to pay a fair (or any) share of the cost of building the societies they exploit.